Shrek theme park to open in London in summer 2015

The attraction will be run by Merlin Entertainment, who also operate Madame Tussauds and the London Dungeon

A new theme park inspired by the Oscar-winning adventures of Shrek is set to open in summer 2015. Shrek’s Far Far Away Adventure will open just ahead of the original film's 15 year anniversary (doesn't that make you feel old?), and will feature an interactive walkthrough adventure, a character courtyard where visitors will be able to meet Shrek and his friends, plus characters from other Dreamworks movies including Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon (itself due a sequel this year). The attraction will be located at alongside other tourist landmarks on the South Bank, including the London Eye and The London Dungeon (both of which are operated by Merlin Entertainment, who will also be in charge of making sure the new attraction has, ahem, Shrek's appeal).

Shrek will have Walt Disney turning in his cryogenic freeze tank. This truly subversive animated film takes pot shots at fairytale mythology, while singling out Uncle Walt's beloved Snow White, Cinderella, Pinocchio, et al. Under the guise of a quest to rescue a princess from a dragon undertaken by the eponymous green…

Patchy, episodic sequel to DreamWorks' inspired, satirical riff on Disney fairy tales, this fails to replicate the magic of the original. Back from honeymoon, swamp-dwelling Shrek and his bride, Princess Fiona are invited to visit his in-laws, King Harold and Queen Lillian, rulers of the kingdom of Far Far Away.

The green ogre (voiced by Myers) runs away from parental and royal responsibility to go on a journey with loyal companions Donkey (Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Banderas) to seek out another heir to the throne (Timberlake). The third instalment of this blockbuster phenomenon feels a bit formulaic now but there are enough…

A fourth and final instalment, rebooting the flagging franchise with a new alternate-reality twist which sees Shrek escape fatherhood for a one-day return to his bachelor years. A warmed-over sequel that lazily re-configures familiar elements to mildly pleasing effect.

Puss (Banderas) and Humpty Dumpty (Galifianakis) attempt to steal magic beans from Jack and Jill, with Hayek as feline accomplice Kitty Softpaws. Given the slackening quality of the Shrek franchise, the surprise is that this imaginative romp was one of the 2011's best animated family films.